Demons
by Red Leaves and Paper Shuriken
Summary: We all have our demons. We all have a reason to keep fighting. The only question is, what is that reason? A one-sided, NaruHina introspective piece.


**A/N: **_Hey, everyone! I'm new... and yeah, I really don't know what to say here. This is my first fanfic, so I hope you all like it :) _

_I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. _

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"We all have our demons."

I hated that phrase so much. After all, what do people know about demons? What could they possibly know about being the vessel of a demon? It puts the weight of the world on one's soul, simultaneously condemning them to a life of loneliness. Nobody wanted to nurture a boy who had the very embodiment of chaos sealed within his tiny body. So, rather than being taught the ropes of life by a parent, I learned them the hard way. Every day, if I left my house, I ignored whispers on the street and the fear in people's eyes. If I opted to just stay home, I was forced to listen to the snarling and indignant voices within. With time, I turned myself into a loudmouth to drown out the negative thoughts taking form in my head. I stopped being seen as the "dangerous demon-fox boy" and simply became a "troublesome problem child." As inappreciable an improvement it seemed, that alone was enough to keep me optimistic enough to stay strong.

Somewhere along the line, I realized that my demon could be a source of power, and I could control that power for the price of the life I was living, all I had to do was learn how. If years of rigorous training could earn me the trust and respect that everybody else had. then I would dedicate my whole life to doing 's how I formed my unwavering resolve to protect my village and all the people in it. But somewhere inside my childlike mind, I wanted to be looked upon as something more. I wanted to become the leader and make big decisions for the good of everybody. I wanted to be loved. The problem was, virtually nobody trusted me. If that wasn't a tough enough obstacle, I could never seem to make myself cooperate with the problem. It was a goal which neared impossible the more I thought about it.

. . .

Her name itself meant sunshine, and that's exactly what she was. She was something you would take for granted, but couldn't live without. She was the one who could light up your world without you even knowing it was her. She was the support we all relied on without actually realizing it. Instead, we disregarded her completely. The strangest part is, she didn't mind being labeled as socially awkward, and quietly took all the crap she received from both us as well as her unsupportive family. When she was stripped of her title as the clan's heiress, she took it with a smile, and still managed to be there for those she loved. I've been told it was because of me, but I thought nothing of it. In reality, I thought nothing of her.

In time I made friends, and they helped me to redeem myself in front of the village, and it was because of them that I am where I am today. They all had their own lives, and I had mine. We were a great group of friends. They helped me and I helped them. The only one who never needed help was her, despite her background. She was abused and looked down upon, and yet she never reached out to anyone, simply because she was strong enough on her own. All I knew was that she was a weird little girl with a rosy face who had the tendency to faint whenever I approached her. For this reason I considered her odd and weak. This was one of the many mistakes I made throughout my life.

When my best friend, whom I considered to be a brother, betrayed all of us while he was blinded by the need for revenge and in frantic search of power, he became my one and only goal. At this point I depended on my friends to watch my back until I was strong enough to watch out for not only myself, but for them as well. It was them who helped me chase after him until we realized we were up against crazy strong opponents. They got stronger through training within the village, while I left the village to hopefully get a grasp on some of my own power, under the instruction of an insanely powerful man. I hadn't noticed her at the time, vowing to become stronger herself. I hadn't noticed that slowly, but surely, she was becoming the light which I turned to in times of despair.

Three years later, I returned. Everyone was the same, only older. She was still as timid and awkward as ever. My best friend was soon to officially join hands with one of the village's largest threats, and we had to stop him fast. Her abilities had improved greatly, and she was sent on a scouting mission. It wasn't like she cared about him or anything, as I found out much later, but she just wanted to alleviate some of the stress I carried on my heart every day. If I could've done anything to make her happier, I would've. But we were all too busy with our own lives to get to know each other better. Any attempt seemed to be too little, to late.

Every day I got stronger and more stressed at the same time. I was being targeted for my power by a terrorist organization, which posed as even more of a threat to the village. We all had to put in our best efforts to keep everyone safe, forcing all other goals to take the backseat. But no matter what we seemed to do, the enemy was always stronger. Somewhere in the mess of our efforts, more and more people were rendered incapacitated. And the more I realized this, my resolve slowly began to wear thin.

_"I love you"_

These were the words she spoke before she was beaten within an inch of her life. It should have been me, but I was already down. This was probably the first time I had given her any serious thought, which made me wonder why I hadn't before. She was beaten until she couldn't stand back up, and still she dragged herself into a position in which she could fight. At that moment, I wished I could die. I wished that I could save everyone the trouble of having to fight for me, and simply vanish. Then, seeing her determination, the tables turned, and then it was her who helped me keep my chin up. It was entirely too bittersweet. Regret filled my heart when I once again realized that, because of my weakness, someone else was hurt. It was all my fault, and I didn't deserve her love. And so I ignored this little confession and we went about our lives as normal.

Despite how it must've looked, her confession shocked me right to the core. I honestly wasn't expecting anyone to honestly say the loved me, but when I think about it, I really should have seen it coming. Nonetheless, it woke me up. Something in my life shifted, and it was as if the puzzle pieces were falling into place. I began to accept myself, and with this acceptance came the new motivation to truly come to terms with my demon. Knowing someone was counting on me to pull through put a sort of pressure on me, but it wasn't unpleasant. In fact, it allowed me to look at the path before me in a new light. Because of her love, I was able to reach my full potential. My abilities knew no limits. Finally, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

After 17 years, I felt like someone's finally forgiven me for my existence, but I can't help but look back and wonder if I was selfish for not returning her love. I probably hurt her over and over again as I matured, absorbed within my own conflicts and goals. In a way, I was just like all the others who cast her aside. These past few years have been painful for us all, and along the way I've lost too many of my friends. In the end, though, those of us who remained emerged as new people, and with time, our scars will heal and maybe, hopefully, we can try to live normally.

So as I'm sitting here, today, I can finally smile and say, with confidence, that yes, we all have our demons, and I have come to terms with mine.

Thank you, Hinata, for your love.

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**A/N:** _Well, there we go! Thanks :)_


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